Mullaghareirk Mountains
The Mullaghareirk Mountains are a range of hills on the borders of County Cork, County Kerry and County Limerick. The area is also known as Sliabh Luachra or 'Slieve Logher'. The highest point is Baraveha (Barr an Bheithe) at 1480 feet.[1]
The range is bordered by the Blackwater valley to the south, Castleisland to the west, Athea to the north and the Deel valley to the east. Villages in the hills include Rockchapel, Ballydesmond, Brosna, Gneevgullia, Mountcollins, Newmarket, Meelin and Tournafulla. A tributary of the River Feale, the Allaughaun River, rises at the east end of the range.[2]
This range has a Gaelic name: 'Mullaghareirk' is from the Irish Mullach an Radhairc, meaning 'Summit of the view'.[3]
- Location map: 52°19’60"N, 9°7’60"W
Stack's to Mullaghareirk Mountains, West Limerick Hills and Mount Eagle SPA
The Mullaghareirk Mountains form part of the Stack's to Mullaghareirk Mountains, West Limerick Hills and Mount Eagle Special Protection Area which, although large areas are under commercial conifer forestry, protects blanket bog, wet heath and dry heath. The area has been designated as a Special Protection Area under the European Union's Birds Directive and was so designated to protect the hen harrier. A survey in 2005 found 45 breeding pairs, representing more than 20% of the total for the whole island of Ireland. Other rare birds found here include breeding short-eared owl, merlin and red grouse, a species which is now listed as endangered in Ireland.[2] The SPA was designated in 2007 and has a total area of 215 square miles.[4]
History
The Mullaghareirk Mountains were used as a sanctuary by the Rockites, the "followers" of the mythical folk hero Captain Rock, in the Agrarian risings of 1821 to 1824, to hide from the authorities.[5]
References
- ↑ MountainViews.ie: Baraveha
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "SITE SYNOPSIS Site Name: Stack's to Mullaghareirk Mountains, West Limericvk Hills and Mount Eagle SP Site Code: 004161". Department for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. https://www.npws.ie/sites/default/files/protected-sites/synopsis/SY004161.pdf.
- ↑ Mullaghareirk Mountains: Placenames Database of Ireland
- ↑ "Stack's to Mullaghareirk Mountains, West Limerick Hills and Mount Eagle SPA in Ireland". Protected Planet. https://www.protectedplanet.net/stack-s-to-mullaghareirk-mountains-west-limerick-hills-and-mount-eagle-spa-special-protection-area-birds-directive.
- ↑ James S. Donnelly, Jr (2009). Captain Rock: The Irish Agrarian Rebellion of 1821–1824. Univ of Wisconsin Press. p. 82. ISBN 978-0299233136. https://books.google.com/books?id=CPUH0QOYMWgC&q=Mullaghareirk+Mountains&pg=PA82.